Batman: The Long Halloween (Deluxe Edition) (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review)

(Editor’s Note: Portions of this review were previously published)

In Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One Gotham City is gripped by a mysterious killer tagged “the Holiday killer” going after members of the notorious Falcone crime family on the holidays. As Commissioner Gordon (Billy Burke) and DA Harvey Dent (Josh Duhamel) rush to find the killer, Batman (Jensen Ackles) is forced to shift from hard hitting crime fighter to detective mode to track down then killer, being aided by Catwoman (the late Naya Rivera). All their efforts are thwarted by Joker (Troy Baker) who escapes from Arkham Asylum and begins going on his own homicidal tear.

Based on the original graphic novel, this is one of the better DC Universe animated movies and is so because it rebuffs the usual action over story formula for a slow-burn detective mystery set against the eerie, art deco backdrop of Gotham City.

The character designs are incredibly detailed as well allowing the film to go toe-to-toe with the graphic novel, something DC Universe films seem to always fall down on, such as in The Killing Joke, for example, where the cover art for the film was much more compelling than the actual animation work in the film. Here, Joker and Batman really look intimidating.

From the opening scene, this film gets you hooked and tuned in to its key mystery, setting a dark tone but also finds time to weave in a flirty rooftop chase with Batman and Catwoman. In the second half of the this nearly three-hour-long epic — now woven seamlessly into one film rather than spilt into two parts Holiday keeps killing in Gotham and the tensions boils over between the rival Falcone and Maroni crime families. Batman, James Gordon, and Harvey Dent race to find the killer, but their investigations are complicated when a breach at Arkham lets Poison Ivy, Mad Hatter, and Scarecrow loose. Bruce Wayne has been caught in the influence of Poison Ivy’s trance, forced to sign over properties to the Roman, and Harvey Dent, scared by an attack, begins to lose a grip on reality.

This conclusion closes out the story, ramps up the tension and introduces one the more famous villains from the Dark Knight mythology. More crime thriller than action/adventure superhero film and the voice acting from Jensen Ackles (Batman), Josh Duhamel (Harvey Dent), Naya Rivera (Catwoman), and others is excellent.

Batman: The Long Halloween

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The Video

Batman: The Long Halloween Deluxe Edition arrives in a 1.78:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) HDR10 encodement on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc. This ups the ante over the previously available digital 4K UHD versions with a far cleaner, crisper image and ever so slightly more ‘pop’ in the specular highlights. You are not going to see a lot of added brightness in this transfer, especially given the HDR10 metadata only shows a MaxLL of 185 nits and a MaxFALL of 65 nits, but the wide color gamut (WCG) does provide a more vibrant palette in the color fills.

The Audio

Batman: The Long Halloween comes to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray with the same English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 audio mix from Warner Bros that appeared on the previous part one and part two Blu-ray releases. Unlike most DC Universe Movie animated releases this isn’t a hyper-aggressive mix. The source material lends itself to a more atmospheric mix and this one is done very well. The surround channels often carry the sounds of distant traffic or an elevated train, the quiet score dropping and swelling when need be. When there is more action, there is a lot of headroom to raise the volume. What is missing from this mix is a very deep low end. It is not there because it is rarely called for given the lack of many explosions and so forth, particularly in the film’s first half. Not that there are not any. When a blast hits, it has some impact, just not the big rattling boom these DC releases normally have.

The Supplements

Everything from the previously released part 1 and part 2 Blu-ray releases is provided on the included Blu-ray minus the DC animated short films, which is a bummer. We do get a brand-new featurette on the history of The Long Halloween.

• Movies Anywhere Digital Copy Code
• Batman: The Long Halloween – “Evolution of Evil” (1080p; 00:24:56)

• A Sneak Peek at the Next Animated Movie, Batman: The Long Halloween, Part Two (1080p; 00:09:10)
• A Preview of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 (1080p; 00:12:34)
• A Preview of Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (1080p; 00:08:28)
• From the DC Vault: Batman: The Animated Series – “Christmas with the Joker” (1080p; 00:22:22)
• From the DC Vault: Batman: The Animated Series – “It’s Never Too Late” (1080p; 00:22:24)

The Final Assessment

Batman: The Long Halloween is one of the best Batman graphic novels DC has done and this epic animated film is one of their best original adaptations. Finally together as one film and coming just in time for Halloween on a reference 4K disc, this is one fans should grab up.

Batman: The Long Halloween (Deluxe Edition) is out on 4K Ultra HD Combo September 20, 2022 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

• Rating Certificate: R (Violence and Bloody Images)
• Studios & Distributors: DC Comics | Warner Bros. Animation | Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
• Director: Chris Palmer
• Written By: Jeph Loeb (original story) | Tim Sheridan (screenplay)
• Run Time: 168 Mins.
• Street Date: 20 September 2022
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
• HDR Format: HDR10
• HDR10 Metadata:
  • MaxLL: 185 nits
  • MaxFALL: 65 nits
• Primary Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1
• Secondary Audio: French DD 5.1 | German DD 5.1 | French DD 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH | French | Spanish